Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Chapter 10: So it goes
One of the major themes of the novel seems to be the repetitive use of the phrase "So it goes". The phrase is used after every single death in the story no matter how tragic or ironic it may be. The phrase does not discriminate between races, sexes, or brutality of the death. Because the phrase does not change, it is used to display the equalization of dignity among all deaths in the novel. No death is different from any other when the phrase is used afterwards. All people are equal after death, and the phrase "So it goes" is the symbol that brings them all together throughout the novel.
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Great blog Dan. Another way to look at the phrase is that it is an acceptance of fate. It's almost like someone saying "oh well it was supposed to happen" as they shrug their shoulders.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good way of viewing the meaning of the phrase:) In my opinion, it can also be seen as an acceptance of the destruction and a numbness to the emotions people would usually feel in tragic situations. By consistently using this phrase throughout the book, Vonnegut is showing the viewpoint of the people experiencing these destructive occurrences. For me, this is the major theme of Slaughterhouse Five.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I flipped the page, I'm pretty sure that "so it goes" was on the page! I noticed it a lot, but I didn't really understand the significance of it.
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